


Don't Have To Hide (TheBombDiggity666)

by coldphoenix



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dadster, Don't Have To Hide, Gen, deadpool4ever, thebombdiggity666
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 19:51:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10601043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldphoenix/pseuds/coldphoenix
Summary: A narrative adaptation of the comic Don't Have To Hide by TheBombDiggity666. Upon returning from a busy night in the lab, Gaster finds Sans hiding in his room, seemingly distressed but reluctant to tell him why. What is it Sans is trying to hide?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Don't Have To Hide](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/283242) by TheBombDiggity666. 



> So this is the completed edition of my narrative of the comic Don't Have To Hide by TheBombDiggity666/deadpool4ever, pages 1-9. I know the comic is much longer, but I've decided to end the narrative here. There are a couple of reasons for that, but the main reason is that the next page of the comic has action content, and I'm terrible at writing action scenes. I know that sounds like a poor excuse and normally I would try to write the next pages anyway, but I'm actually really pleased with how this narrative has turned out and I've tried so, so hard to make it good that I don't want to ruin it with bad writing. So, I've decided to quit while I'm ahead on this one. Maybe I'll continue this at some point, but I think this is a nice place to end :)  
> However, I do absolutely 100% encourage you to read the rest of the comic, which has recently been completed. She's TheBombDiggity666 on DeviantArt, or deadpool4ever on tumblr. Believe me, it's an awesome read!  
> Anyway... I hope I've done the comic justice with this, and like I said I tried really hard, so... please leave me your feedback if you get time. Thank you :)

_Click_. The door closed, sending a timid echo through the vast, empty hallway of the Skelefam house as Dr. W.D. Gaster returned home from a busy night in his laboratory, much later than he’d planned. Always a hard-working man, it was not the first time he had stayed behind after hours. Gaster had a passion for his work and a keenness to finish what he had started, and the unfortunate consequence of such bittersweet attributes was, amongst others, that he sometimes arrived home at an unsociable hour.

He stepped into the hallway, accompanied by his youngest son Papyrus, who was carefully positioned on the tired professor’s shoulders. He kept a firm grip on Papyrus’s legs as he called into the dark depths of the house, to his eldest child.   
“Sans!” Gaster’s voice echoed off the cold walls, travelling through the building like a phantom through its chambers. “We’re home, sorry that we’re so late!”

Papyrus squealed slightly at the sound of his father’s voice, becoming excited by the noise and his new surroundings. He looked around the hallway in awe, fascinated by the familiar sights of his home. He grinned to himself, and playfully clutched his father’s skull with his gloved hands. Papyrus was almost entirely covered in thick winter clothing, to protect his young fragile bones from the bitterness of Snowdin’s cold. Today was particularly spiteful. Only Papyrus’s face was exposed, and his playful grin grew even wider upon it as Gaster started to lift the toddler from his shoulders.   
“WEE!” Papyrus giggled as he found himself carried through the air, above his father’s head and down against Gaster’s chest, held safely in the scientist’s steady arms.   
“It was a late night at the lab…” Gaster continued to speak to the seeming emptiness of the building, and a subtle brush of guilt crept through him as he glanced at the clock on the wall. 18:40. As expected. Gaster knew he was late, but in rushing home his journey had been shorter than usual. He was discreetly pleased with how quickly he had arrived. Still… regardless of that, it was a long time to leave his eldest child alone, when Sans would have expected him back over an hour ago.

Gaster waited for San’s response, expecting the boy to reply with some foolish remark or childish pun, much to the disapproval of the stern Dr. Gaster. However… there was nothing. There was nothing to greet the doctor except the sound of the clock ticking on the wall… and bar that, silence. This was rather unusual… “Sans?” Gaster uttered, raising his voice slightly with the assumption that he had simply not been heard. “Are you here?” Still nothing. The house was silent, but for the rhythmic tick-tocking on the wall. _“That’s strange…”_ Gaster thought to himself, becoming slightly unnerved by the unexpected quietness of the building. _“He should have been here hours ago.”_  
“BA?” Papyrus uttered, sensing his father’s growing discomfort. He looked up at Gaster, seeking some sort of positive response from the man, or a change in the staling atmosphere. Gaster however had other things on his mind.

He set the bewildered toddler down on the floor, and Papyrus landed with a soft plop on the dark carpet.   
“Go play, Pap.” Gaster instructed, already taking his eyes off Papyrus as he gazed up the long, steep flight of stairs. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

He left Papyrus alone in pursuit of his eldest child. Gaster started to make his way up the stairs, his bony fingers lightly grazing against the varnished wood of the staircase as he feared what was about to come. _“Come on, Sans.”_ He thought to himself in exhaustion, too tired and too drained to play this irksome game once again. _“Don’t make me search the whole Underground for you again.”_ He dreaded that. Truly. It was such an inefficient use of time – such a waste of valuable minutes and seconds. Gaster didn’t care much for time wasted, nor did he care much for defiance or trickery… and especially not now. Not when he had just returned from a long day at work, and he wanted nothing more than to put Papyrus to bed and settle down for the evening. _“We can’t keep doing this.”_ He sighed silently, almost groaning to himself as he reached the top of the stairs and approached Sans’s bedroom door. _“ **I** can’t keep doing this.”_ Yes… That was much more accurate. Perhaps this was all good fun for a young boy, but Gaster failed to see the amusement in this. “Sans.” He spoke sternly, his frustration and impatience ever so subtly creeping into his monotone voice. Gaster placed his palm around the door handle, his annoyance at the situation reaching its brink. “Why will you not answer me?” He turned the handle, hoping that Sans would at least be in his room, even if he refused to talk. 

Gaster pushed against the door ever so delicately, as discreetly and respectfully as he made all of his movements. The slight pressure of his weight caused the door to creak and groan, almost screaming as it was opened. From its tired hinges it let out one final moan, and obediently granted W.D. Gaster access to the darkness that was on the other side. 

_Click. Creak_. Gaster slowly and carefully opened Sans’s bedroom door, controlling his movements to keep its noise to an absolute minimum as he strained its hinges. Hm. He knew how they felt. He took a step into the room, and angled himself just perfectly to allow the light of the hallway to pass him by, conquering as much of the blackened room as it could. “Sans?” Gaster whispered into the darkness, hoping with all his might that he would get an affirmative response. He granted his eyes a short moment to adjust to the dim light, watching as an array of furniture and clothing came into view. Hm. Clothes on the floor again. Gaster was sick and tired of telling him. He was mentally drained as it was, and this untidy sight only served to exhaust Gaster more. Still… It was not the worst thing he would see.

Guided by the dim light of the hallway, Gaster finally settled his gaze upon Sans’s bed. A quick brush of relief briefly touched upon Gaster’s weary being when he saw his son sleeping in his chamber. That was a positive, at least. They would not have to play that bothersome game. “Oh thank goodness,” Gaster breathed, relishing in his short-lived relief. “You are here.” 

He allowed his gaze to remain on Sans for a moment more, contemplating the cause of his anxiety as an uncomfortable feeling started to weigh heavily upon Gaster’s soul. This was not quite right… _“Something is off…”_ He thought to himself, acknowledging the unsettlement that was steadily embedding itself into his being. There was an atmosphere here; a poison. He could sense… … pain. In curiosity, Gaster stealthily approached the sleeping Sans, keeping his movements silent as to not wake the boy. He got as close as he could to see him, allowing a safe distance to remain between them as he looked down at Sans. _“Oh.”_

Gaster almost flinched as a cold, sharp jolt of panic burst through his soul like a shooting star through the night sky. Its dust lingered within him, almost causing Gaster to nauseate at the unnerving sight before his eyes. Sans was… in pain. Agony, the kind of which even sleep could not erase. There were tears in his eyes; Sans was crying through his slumber, and his face had upon it a terribly sickly hue. “Oh my.” Gaster breathed, his bright pupils disappearing into the murky hollowness of his eyes as a terrible feeling of dread threatened to consume him. What was wrong…? The uncertainty was almost too much to bear; what was wrong with his son! “Sans!” Gaster panted, collapsing his frame down with a heavy crash onto Sans’s bedside chair. He pulled himself towards the bed, and forcefully pushed his hands against his sleeping child as the tightness of his desperation grew. “What’s wrong?” Gaster demanded, his rapidly growing concern tearing through the monotone of his voice. “Wake up!”

He placed his hand on Sans’s skull, cupping the shivering child’s head in his palm. Sans looked so small… So fragile. He was moaning in his sleep, his tears of agony steadily dampening his bed sheets. He was shaking, as if he had a fever, but… _“He’s not hot, no fever.”_ Gaster concluded to himself, assessing the situation piece by piece in the analytical manner that he found so comforting. _“That’s good… I guess.”_  
“hurrrgh…” Sans groaned underneath him, the soft touch of Gaster’s palm dragging him from his restless slumber. He stirred slightly, and began to open his eyes.   
“Sans?” Gaster spoke softly. He felt himself calm, his fear for the child’s wellbeing subsiding ever so slightly as Sans moved back into consciousness. Gaster gazed down at the boy, his palm still fixed on Sans’s head so firmly it was as if he believed Sans would perish if he ever let go.   
“dad…” Sans spoke weakly, and looked up at his father with tear-stained eyes. “you’re home…” 

Gaster stared down at his trembling son, examining the boy’s HP as he held a firm had on Sans’s skull. Something was wrong. Sans was weak…  
“You’re visualante, my child.” Gaster uttered hoarsely, the weight of his concern tugging at his conscience as he felt how drained Sans’s health was. It was almost half gone. “Why are you like this?” He demanded desperately, his keenness for answers at its peak. He couldn’t contain his emotions; his concern shot through his voice like a starved animal breaking through its cage. “Are you sick?” Gaster uttered frantically. “How do you feel?”   
“i-i’m fine, dad…” Sans mumbled, his voice small and frail as he tried to speak in his weakened state. Gaster stiffened slightly as a pinch of annoyance nipped at his being. Sans was lying to him. Hm. That was unacceptable. And he thought he could get away with it too.   
“That’s cute.” Gaster said bluntly, allowing his doubt in the child’s words to stand clear as day. It was obvious that Sans was lying to him, and an obvious lie deserved an obvious disbelief in its credibility.   
“no, really!” Sans insisted. “i’m just tired.”   
“Your HP is down, but you don’t appear to be sick.” Gaster stated, ignoring Sans’s words as he spoke his findings out loud. Sans had no fever; there were no traces of mucus; his breathing was normal… “Well, I guess that helps…” 

Gaster met Sans’s eyes and offered him a stern scowl. “Show me where it hurts.” He ordered.   
“uh – um no no, it’s okay dad.” Sans said, still terribly unwilling to cooperate. “i’m just being lazy…”  
“Then you should have no opposition to me checking.” Gaster replied in a monotone, his fear for the child’s safety steadily being replaced by a heavy annoyance. Sans was lying to him… Gaster would not stand for that. What reason would Sans possibly have to lie?   
“no no, i’m just cold is all…” Sans continued to argue as passionately as he could, but as his weakened body trembled and his lowered HP strained his voice, he was not at all convincing. That, and the fact that he was clearly making up a tale.   
“You can’t get cold, Sans. You have no skin.” Gaster stated, pointing out the painfully blatant hole in Sans’s plot.   
“w-well…” Sans mumbled feebly, his draining mind exhausting itself as he tried desperately to think of something else to say. “i’m kinda self-conscious, you know?” Sans grinned sheepishly, and hoped that the notion of embarrassing his son would be enough to drive the persistent doctor away. Of course, it wasn’t. Always a man who strived for answers, Gaster was never one for giving up – and especially not where his children were concerned.   
“Absolutely not. I’m your father.” Gaster huffed, irritated by Sans’s response. Irritated… and somewhat insulted. Hm. Really. Self-conscious? The very idea of it was absurd, what did Sans possibly think he needed to hide from his own father? “So show me where it is.” Gaster ordered once again, the volume of his voice creeping up ever so slightly, ever so discreetly as his patience drew closer to its own demise.   
“i-i’m just joking, dad!” Sans protested, his desperation growing so much it began to push a second wave of tears from his eyes. He tried to stop them; he tried with all his might to hide the evidence that he was not fine. His efforts were futile, though. Deep down, Sans knew it. Gaster didn’t believe him, and he never would… but perhaps Sans could still make him go. If he kept insisting. “really, just leave me be.” Sans said, and he offered his father a smile. He tried to make it look reassuring, but it wasn’t. “i’m good.”

Gaster paused for a moment, and in those few seconds Sans’s pleading almost paid off. Sans was lucid and coherent, and not in a critical state… The boy wanted privacy, and for a short moment Gaster considered granting it… until the most horrifying sight presented itself to his eyes. No…  
“Sans!” Gaster gasped, his pupils brightening for a split second as a spark of panic briefly shot through his soul. He stared down in horror, shocked by what he was witnessing. Oh… This was far worse than he’d initially thought. Sans’s hand was red, stained with a thick liquid that could have only come from the inside of his bones. No… What had happened to him? Sans… “You’re… Why are you bleeding!”   
“ **dad**! **no**! augh…” Sans’s desperate scream was soon followed by a low, agonising moan as his father tore away the comfort of his bed sheets, revealing the painful truth behind Sans’s lies. Gaster stared in horror at the boy, his once calm face reduced to a broken shadow as he realised the true extent of Sans’s discomfort. Discomfort… No, that was an understatement. A significant understatement. Sans was… fractured. “it…” Sans sobbed, his weary eyes scrunched tight as he tried to shut out the blistering pain of the snapped, bleeding arm that he had tried so desperately to hide from his father. “it just stopped hurting. why…” Sans whimpered, his mouth twisting as he hissed with anger, “why would you do that!”   
“W… Why would you not tell me?” Gaster choked, his horror so great he was trembling. He was trembling… He was normally so calm, so free of emotion or outburst, but… He was trembling. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and his disbelief was so great that it could not be contained in his bones. Hi pupils were widened in shock, but dimmed as the cruel image of his son in such pain drained the life from Gaster’s soul. All he could think was… why? “Why would you hide that…?” He whispered, in as loud a volume as he could. All at once Gaster felt overcome with dismay. This was it? This was what his child had been so afraid to show him? To think that Sans would rather lie here, bleeding and in agony, with his arm practically split in two, than to show his own father… Was that really the effect Gaster had on his son? On his… his baby? His boy. Why was Sans so afraid of him…? What a monster Gaster must be, to terrify his child into remaining in such agony. It was enough to break the fractured scientist’s heart. “Here, let me see.” Gaster cautiously moved closer to Sans, keeping his voice as gentle as he could, so as to not frighten the boy even more than he already had. Oh, Sans… _Sans_. He placed a loving hand on Sans’s small frame, with as light a pressure as possible as he offered Sans a tender, heartfelt glance. “That looks like a painful fracture.” He reached for Sans’s arm. “We’re going to need to reset it before –”  
“ _ **ahh**_!” Gaster flinched as Sans suddenly flung himself onto his back, throwing his legs up at the doctor in a wild attempt to keep him away. “no! don’t touch it!” Sans screamed, his body erupting with panic, tears gushing out of his eyes. “don’t touch me! i don’t want to reset it! it’s gonna hurt!”   
“Hey, calm down!” Gaster protested, and the minute he saw Sans putting himself at risk of further injury the logical scientist in him took over. There was no time for sympathy now. Sans was being foolish. He was hurting himself! “Don’t flail like that, you will hurt it more!”   
“nononono **please**!” Sans begged, rolling onto his front in the foetal position to shield his injured arm from Gaster. “please don’t do it! please don’t touch it!” Sans cried. He buried his face against the bed, feebly pressing his own weight onto his arm in a vain attempt to stop the pain. “it hurts…”

Gaster looked down at Sans, and what was left of his shattered heart split into pieces once more. Was this his son…? This frightened, quivering creature? He was shaking violently, burying his timid face into a bed sheet that was soaked with his own blood and tears. Begging to be left alone, as if his very life were at stake. What had happened to him…? How had Sans turned into this…? And how… How was Gaster to comfort him? He reached out to the boy, the warmth in his voice barely any comfort at all as he softly uttered,   
“My child…” 

Gaster placed a soothing hand on the quivering child’s back, his fingers tingling as they felt Sans trembling underneath them. The room was silent, but for a soft whimper emitting from Sans’s skull as the child tried so desperately to endure his pain. “Sshh, it’s fine.” Gaster soothed in a vain attempt to calm the child. “You’re fine. Just breathe for me, okay Sans? I’m not going to hurt you so just relax and –”  
“ _ **dad**_? **wait**! please!” Sans screamed at the top of his voice as Gaster suddenly snatched the child from the comfort of his mattress, and held him tightly against his frame.   
“Ssshh. Calm down, Sans.” Gaster spoke, still keeping his voice soft and gentle in the hope that it would put an end to Sans’s violent panicking. “Everything is fine…”  
“ **no**!” Sans yelled. “no it’s not!”   
“Relax, Sans…”  
“i – i can’t!” Sans wailed, trying desperately to break out of Gaster’s firm hold. It was useless… Gaster was too strong.   
“Just breathe, I’m not going to hurt you.” Gaster insisted. “Just lay back and…”  
“i – i…” Sans stammered, his volume decreasing ever so slightly. He was still fearful; he was still resisting… but he seemed to be calming down. At last.   
“It’s okay.” Gaster continued to soothe him, speaking as gently as he could as he positioned his hands around Sans.   
“b-but…” Sans whimpered.   
“Relax.”   
“ **aah**! no!” 

Sans’s defences sprang into action once again. His pupils alight with fear, he began to protest as loudly as he could as Gaster held him firmly against his tall, slender frame, preparing to do what Sans was sure would hurt, whatever it may be.   
“Sshh!” Gaster scolded, briefly losing himself in impatience before he once again attempted to calm the boy. “You’re fine.”   
“dad!” Sans cried, his fear growing as his father placed a firm hand upon Sans’s skull, restraining him.   
“Sans.” Gaster sighed. “Please understand that I am trying to help you.” 

He lay Sans down across his lap and, briefly freed from the tightness of Gaster’s grip, the child once again started flailing.   
“ _ **augh**_! dad! please!” Sans wailed, his eyes scrunched tight in desperation as he struggled against the strength of Gaster’s arms.   
“You’re acting ridiculous!” Gaster scolded, his patience with the boy finally coming to its end. He’d had enough of this… Couldn’t Sans see? Couldn’t he see what he was doing? How difficult a task this was becoming thanks to him?   
“you’re hurting me!” Sans yelled.   
“My child, you are only hurting yourself.” Gaster stated. He was annoyed. Annoyed beyond tolerance that Sans did not seem to realise how much worse he was making this. Did he want to fracture himself further? “Relax, breathe, and close your eyes.” Gaster instructed, submitting to the professional scientist within him in his efforts to put a swift and tidy end to this whole ordeal. He held back his own feelings, his own familiarity with Sans, speaking as monotony and as calmly as any unbiased doctor would a patient, as he explained to his child what was about to come. “I’m going to examine it. Do not panic. I may hurt you if you fight against me.”

That was enough. The threat of further pain was enough to immediately stop Sans inflicting any more upon himself in protest. Tears continued to fall from Sans’s eyes as he stared up at his father with bright pupils, alive with fright. He was trembling, but he was calming. Eventually, and reluctantly, Sans finally started to obey his father, and he closed his eyes. “That’s it.” Gaster said calmly. “Close your eyes and focus on my voice. Please don’t flinch…”  
“hermmm…” Sans whimpered, his trembling body tense and rigid as his father proceeded to assess Sans’s fractured arm. 

_Tick. Tick. Tick_. Elsewhere, in the cold loneliness of the Skelefam house, the toddler Papyrus was sitting alone, accompanied only by a few toys and the rhythmic tick-tocking of the clock on the wall. He huffed and grunted, filled with determination as he tried to solve a Rubik’s Cube.   
“HERM…” He growled, forcing all of his concentration into this advanced puzzle. One extra movement. Two extra movements. One movement more… _click_! Solved! “YEE!” The young Papyrus exclaimed, holding the completed Rubik’s Cube up in triumph. “DIB IT!” He pulled the cube down against himself with a wide, toothless grin upon his thrilled little face. He waited for a moment, for praise or acknowledgement from an adult, but there was nothing. Nobody. He was all alone, amongst silence. Silence, but for the tick-tocking of the clock on the wall. _Tick. Tick. Tick_. Papyrus let out a small sigh, looking down in disheartenment at what had been one of the biggest achievements of his short life. Nobody was here to see it… Where was Daddy…? _Tick. Tick. Tick_.  
“ _ **augh**_! _**no**_!”

Suddenly started, the young Papyrus’s soul almost leapt out of his bones. He jumped up in fright, immediately dropping the Rubik’s Cube as an almighty cry erupted through the house, shattering the icy silence. “ **let go**!” Sans’s voice thundered down the stairs, with such desperation and in such a loud volume that it almost terrified Papyrus to tears. “ **you promised**! **hey**! **stop**! _**let go**_!” 

Sans’s voice rang loud through the house, and loud through his bedroom as he struggled against his father’s tight grasp.   
“What did I just say?” Gaster demanded, calmly.   
“… don’t flinch…” Sans answered, through gritted teeth upon his flinching skull.   
“And what are you doing right now?” Gaster spoke again, as calmly and as collectedly as ever as he held the young boy down.   
“… sorry…” Sans mumbled guiltily, trying his best to force his body to remain still through the sharp bursts of pain.

Gaster let out a sigh.   
“I’m using healing magic.” He stated, as a faint glow of purple magic began to spiral around Sans’s fractured arm. He would have liked to keep the magic weak, so as to not startle Sans with its power or hurt him any further… but unfortunately, and regretfully, in this circumstance Gaster had to use the strongest magic he could. Even this wouldn’t heal him fully. What had happened to Sans…? “It will take the edge of, but it’s not going to heal that fracture, which is oddly suspicious…” Gaster commented. “Anyhow, if you don’t mind…” He looked down at his son with a stern expression upon his face and ordered, “Explain.”   
“w-what?” Sans stammered feebly, as if he didn’t know what Gaster meant.   
“Tell me what happened.” Gaster demanded, never flinching or blinking as he gazed down at the fearful boy. “You have an impact fracture, so you fell, and fell on an awful angle to receive such a nasty oblique split up the ulna like that.” He explained it so professionally, so unbiasedly, and with such precision it was as if Sans was a mere problem to solve. “Where did you fall, why did you fall, and why were you attempting to hide such an injury from me?”   
“am... am i in trouble?” Sans asked weakly, as a cold and sharp dread rapidly grew in his soul. This was far worse than the pain of his fracture. _Far_ worse.   
“Ha.” Gaster grunted, and for a brief moment his face held a humane expression upon it. “That depends entirely on how fast, and truthfully, you can explain yourself.” He said.   
“promise you won't hurt me!” Sans cried, his eyes now wet with fear as he desperately stared at his father, like the frightened child he was.   
“I am not going to hurt you, Sans.” Gaster soothed. “I would never hurt you.”   
“p-promise?” Sans whimpered.   
“I promise.”   
“o-okay…”

Sans sat up in Gaster’s lap and relaxed a little, his mind briefly distracted from his pain as it struggled to think of a plausible lie. “i-i did fall…” He admitted willingly; that part at least was true. “i fell up the stairs, i'm a klutz…”  
“Sans.” Gaster didn’t need to say anything else. His stern tone was indication enough that he did not believe the lie.   
“okay, i fell out of a really big tree in the forest.” Sans said. “i know you say not to climb icy trees, but…”  
“Be truthful, that's strike two…” Gaster maintained his calm tone as he spoke, patiently waiting for Sans to run out of ideas. He knew Sans would get bored of this before he did.   
“okay!” Sans cried, finally submitting the way Gaster had predicted. “okay, i was in the ruins! i fell in the ruins!”

Gaster paused for a moment. For a few seconds, just long enough to completely understand Sans’s words… Long enough for Sans to become unnerved. A wave of guilt swept over the boy as the cold truth of what he had done suddenly began to weigh heavy upon his soul, drowning him in its sinful depths. This was worse than any pain Gaster could ever inflict. This long, horrible silence. Sans could feel Gaster’s disappointment above all else. It was… sickening.   
“Why would you have been in the Ruins?” Gaster spoke softly, his mind frantically trying to answer the question before he had even finished asking. He couldn’t understand… What reason would Sans have to defy him! “The Ruins are the only location in the entire Underground that I have forbidden you from visiting!” He spoke angrily, infuriated by the horrifying truth. His body trembled slightly, an outward reaction to this shocking revelation. It was so unexpected. Never in his life would he have imagined Sans to do that. Why… _Why_ would Sans do that? It was dangerous, above all else! Dangerous, and completely unacceptable. Why had it happened…?

Sans sniffed, and whimpered.   
“i-i knew you would be upset if you found out.” He sobbed, the weight of his guilt too much for his young soul to bear. He made a vain attempt to hold back his tears, but he felt so awful it was impossible to not cry. He felt so guilty… So sick. He’d let his father down. “i was too scared to tell you.” Sans sniffed. “i was too scared to say anything!” He whimpered helplessly, his eyes dimming under the weight of his shame. This was the worst feeling in the world… 

Sans sat up in his father’s arms, tears streaming down his face as he finally started to explain himself. “i was curious because you said it was dangerous.” He sobbed, so heavied by his own shame he couldn’t even bring himself to look at his father. He looked away, staring sorrowfully into his own guilt as he tried his best to tell the royal scientist what he wanted to hear. “i thought you were being harsh.” Sans closed his eyes slightly, his pupils disappearing from his skull as he re-lived that terrible realisation. The universal truth, that Dr. W.D. Gaster always knows best. “but you were right, i should have listened.” Sans said. “i’m sorry. i wanted to know.”

Gaster remained silent as he listened to the boy, with a woeful expression upon his face. His mouth open in discontent, he stared at Sans, watching as the child bravely spoke through his never-ending tears. This was terrible. It was a terrible thing for Gaster to witness. Though… As sad as Sans looked… As upset, as guilty, as regretful and ashamed… it was barely anything compared to what Gaster felt at this very moment. It was… disappointment, above all else. Disappointment, and heartache… and bewilderment. Not knowing things was always such a burdening weight upon Gaster’s soul. How did this even happen? How did he come to be here, watching his son, his own _child_ sobbing so pitifully in front of him? Had Gaster’s parenting really failed him so? Had he been too strict with Sans, or not strict enough? Sans had become a good enough boy to sob so guiltily over disobeying his father, but not good enough as to not disobey in the first place. And the consequence? It was this fracture, this awful split in Sans’s tiny, innocent bones… and these tears. These heart-breaking tears. It was all an unwanted result, from an experiment that Gaster had clearly failed. Somewhere along the line he had mixed the elements of fatherhood incorrectly, and it had resulted in… this. A sobbing child, with a broken arm. How the hell had the great Royal Scientist got this so wrong? “i wanted to be brave…” Sans whispered, adding weight the ever-growing heaviness upon Gaster’s soul. As if weight needed to be added. This was… terrible. Well and truly. Gaster could barely stand to hear one more word; he felt as if his soul were about to crumble with every small sound his child made. Oh, Sans… “i wanted to see the sky and the stars… real stars, like in the old stories you tell pap and i.” Sans continued on, at the price of Gaster’s grief. Gaster wanted him to stop. It was too upsetting to hear, and yet he wanted to hear it because W.D. Gaster was always so keen to know the truth. It was a blessing, and in this case a curse. Yet… even now, something seemed… troubling. “i just want to see the surface. even if for just a second…” Sans hung his head, closing his dimmed eyes in sorrow. It was enough to crumble the bones of any parent that had even the slightest atom of love for their child. To see his tiny body, so weakened and vulnerable… His pale skull so damp with tears, his eyes so hollow with the dark emptiness of pain. Of longing for something… Something that was well and truly impossible to achieve. Like seeing real stars. “but i guess i just never will.”   
“…” 

Gaster remained speechless for a moment and he stared at the child, the grief in Sans’s soul amplified a thousand times within his father’s. Sans’s agony was real, physical and emotional. What a truly… truly awful thing. Gaster would never wish it upon his worst enemy. To see his child, broken and in such agony, over a… what? A dream? A wish that could never be fulfilled? A longing for something he could not have… Oh! Why was Sans wasting time on things like this? Why would he ever put himself through this? In an outburst of emotion Gaster yanked the boy towards him, causing Sans to immediately cry out.   
“ _ **w-wait**_!” Sans screamed, his pupils brightened in shock. 

_Whoosh_! The air around Sans moved so rapidly as Gaster pulled the boy against him, and Sans cried out through fear of enduring even more pain. His pupils were shrunk into his sockets, but bright with fright as Sans found himself pressed against his father’s frame. What was going on? Was he in trouble again? It didn’t feel that way… Gaster was holding Sans firmly, but not to restrain him. It wasn’t that kind of firm. It was… … affectionate. Was he…? This felt kind of like a… … yeah. It was… 

As the reality of the gesture hit him, Sans calmed slightly. He allowed himself to breath, eased by the apparent lack of anger in Gaster’s soul. That… and the soft, soothing gentleness of Gaster’s monotone voice. Only… it wasn’t monotone now. It was different. It was… warm. Caring. Loving…  
“Please, Sans.” Gaster whispered onto his child’s skull, his voice vibrating against Sans’s bones as if were trying to reach his soul. He was possessed by his own emotions, for the first time in his life. Never in all his existence had Gaster wanted his son to listen to him as much as he wanted it now. Never had his words been so important. Never had he spoken… not from his brain, but from his heart. From… the entirety of his soul. This was a first for him. Well and truly, and possibly long overdue. So… terribly long. Gaster had an overwhelming desire to make up for that now. “Promise me…” He held Sans against him so firmly, taking in the very essence of his child. The smallness of his frame, the warmth of his bones, the timid naivety of his soul… Gaster loved it all. He never said it, he would be the first to admit that, but he had never deemed it necessary. Sans knew. How could he not? He was a smart boy, he must have noticed. He must have realised… how truly loved he was. In fact… He was so loved that a situation like this, it was enough to break Gaster’s heart. “That you won’t talk like that.”

Gaster exhaled deeply, his eyes closed as he held his child in his arms. His Sans. His baby. So sweet, and precious… and in so much pain. Clearly. If he could do something such as this. Even now, Gaster knew it wasn’t true. Not entirely. The pain was real; the motivation was real… but the true reality behind it, now that was still a mystery. A mystery cold and callous, and one that Gaster would never allow to present itself to his family again. “And promise me…” Gaster whispered, a small smile upon his face as he allowed his love for his son to well and truly dominate his soul. This was what it felt like, to be a father. To care for something other than your own damn research or experiments, or… existence itself. This was more important than all of that. This was his child.

Sans softened under his father’s warmth, his pain subsiding as he felt more and more comforted by the love of his father. He wasn’t in trouble anymore. He was safe. Gaster wasn’t going to hurt him. He never would, Sans had always believed that deep down. After all, he was a smart boy. _“And promise me…”_ The words echoed somewhere above Sans’s head, safely encased in Gaster’s warmth, before the royal scientist opened his eyes. He opened them just briefly. Just long enough to look at Sans. Just long enough to softly utter, to the little blue light of his life, “That you will practice on your lying.”


End file.
